Friday 30th January 2009 at 19.00 hrs in the Crown, Market Square, Stony Stratford, is the International Launch date for "Black and White Ogre Country: The Lost Tales of Hilary Tolkien", edited by Angela Gardner and illustrated by Jef Murray.

Congrats to Angie and Jef, I look forward to seeing the book! I will post more details here as I accumulate them.

I had a small involvement with this book - helping transcribe the text and checking facts, so I can give you a few more details.

The main text comes from notes made by Hilary Tolkien in a small notebook. When the notes were made is uncertain - definitely after WW2, but possibly as late as the 1970s. Personally I think that they date from when Humphrey Carpenter was researching the JRRT biography in 1974-5. Hilary's grandson Chris Tolkien has consented to the notebook being published in an illustrated form.

The notes are a series of reminiscences covering various times from the 1890s in Sarehole to life during the second world war. I won't spill all the beans here, but the first tale is about the ogres mentioned in Carpenter's biography. There are plenty of little nuggets in there that should delight the JRRT fan, as I was reading I was constantly thinking 'that must be so-and-so...' and 'that must be when JRRT was at...'. It should be a fascinating book.

The book also includes a brief biography of Hilary which contains some interesting letters and photographs. I'll ask the publisher if it is ok to publish a few scans here, of the cover, etc. Jef's artwork is wonderful.

Anyone who is intending to make the launch on the 30th January can get tickets - £1.00 each ( all proceeds to a Diabetes charity) by reserving them via angie@stonymk.co.uk. The room only seats 60, so tickets need to be pre-booked. Fire regs will not allow us to let more in on the night.

There will be first editions for sale and a presentation on how the book came about; it's contents; discussion of the artwork, and an introduction to the main Biography coming out later in the year.

Another date for your diary is:

ADC TOLKIEN ART EXHIBITION 2009Friday 3rd April 2009 (preview party 7.30pm) to Monday 6th April 2009. Ted Nasmith, Ruth Lacon & Peter Pracownik attending with all their art on display, also Jef Murray (illustrator) and Chris Tolkien to sign copies of a new Tolkien book being released at the exhibition.